A World Within Itself: The Galapagos Days 3 – 4

Darwin’s Arch initiated another breath-taking series of adventures. Since the beginning of our journey, the dive masters spoke of seeing Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus). The largest fish in the sea, these gentle giants actually feed on plankton and other small organisms. The thought of seeing one was well beyond the scopes of my imagination, but much at the heart of my deepest desires.

The Islands had spoiled us – we had grown accustomed to seeing fleets of hammerhead sharks, lurking moray eels, sociable sea turtles, and schools of fish. On my previous dive trips in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida coast, I considered it great luck to see just one sea turtle, or one shark, or one school of fish. Our eyes searched the blue for more, for the greatest prize yet – the Whale Shark.

It happened so fast – I almost forgot why I was being pushed forward, but responded automatically with an additional effort to propel myself forward into the blue, leaving the safety of the reef.

And then it all made sense. The frantic motions of the dive master. The effort our small group exerted into exploring the unknown ocean blue. White dots began to materialize in front of me and there she was – a whale shark nearly the size of the bus!

The moment was so fleeting, gone before I could catch up with her. Fortunately, I would have a second chance (and many more). For now, we returned to the boat, where hot chocolate, warm towels, and excited exchanges of photographs and stories awaited us.

In between dives, we snorkeled with silky sharks. Without our clunky scuba gear, we were more like awkwardly swimming and free diving sea lions, driven by curiosity to venture close to the equally curious sharks. Having never snorkeled before (a shock, given my enthusiastic entrance into the world of scuba diving), my skills were untailored and yet I still managed to find myself among five circling sharks. One swam by, pierced by a hook with a lengthy fishing line still attached, trailing along like some tattered streamer. A few others were decorated with similar signs of accidental, or failed, fishing attempts.

Unlike the hammerheads, these sharks moved with purpose and intent to check out these strange, fumbling creatures on the water’s surface. In the background, a sea turtle gulped for air, unnoticed by the sharks. Although not territorial or aggressive, like bull sharks, the silky sharks do have a tendency to check out what may be edible. In my case, this led to a five minute experience both exhilarating and slightly terrifying. But rather than instilled a sense of fear, I gained a newfound respect for these efficient predators, sleek and streamlined in their movements.

Another top predator of the sea soon appeared in our second dive. In an effort to encounter whale sharks, we ventured into the blue, keeping the distant view of the reef to our left while our eyes strained into the vastness in hopes of seeing those white spots.

Instead, we saw a shimmering light, moving as one patterned unit. It was a school of tuna – another popular fishery target and food item for consumers worldwide. Yellowfin, Big Eye, and Skipjack are the main species targeted for the fishery.

Originally, foreign fleets were allowed access to these fisheries, even in the marine reserve. Since a Special Law passed in 1998, this has no longer been the case (A Brief History of the Tuna Fishery in the Galapagos). However, the fishery continues to exist outside of the marine reserve, and, occasionally and illegally, within it. Nonetheless, government efforts are striving to limit this fishery to account for the overfished nature of tuna worldwide.

Another curious megafauna approached us during a dive. Usually, we could just but hear their echolocation against the steady current and sway of the waves above. Occasionally, their quickly moving shapes could be seen in the blue. But never did one venture close enough to clearly photograph, much less stay to investigate these strange creatures exploring its home. However, this bottle nosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) circled our group and stayed at our level, giving us each a good look over, before joining his pod in the shadows.

And so we pressed on. Remembering the evolutionary beauty of what we saw and looking forward to new and familiar sites in the days that followed.